The 1st period at Lake Tahoe bothered me. It got forgotten after the resounding win, but after scoring early the Bruins spent most of the rest of the 1st being thoroughly out-worked and out-played by a depleted opponent. There was a stretch where they were constantly losing puck battles and they coughed up 2 goals pretty quick. All this in a big occasion game in a glorious setting that should have been all the inspiration they needed to come out firing. And it just didn't happen.
Obviously they got their act together in the 2nd and put the Flyers to the sword, and credit to them for that. But their poor compete level in the 1st just lingered for me as a bad sign. I certainly didn't expect it to lead into 2 thrashings like this, but it doesn't completely shock me either. The Boston of recent years have never been the most outright talented team, but their compete and willingness to work hard and stick with the systems Cassidy's put in place has been one of their greatest assets. This season for whatever reason it's gone missing for stretches and they're a bit boom/bust and inconsistent, which is rather un-Bruins like. Feels like it's at that point where it's on Sweeney to shake things up a bit, whether that's a trade or two, call ups from Providence, or something else. Team needs a jolt. Not a big one, not yet anyway, but enough to make them take notice.
